Cartridge container

ABSTRACT

A cartridge container for storing a plurality of flat tape cartridges having tape reels, respectively, therein, on which electromagnetic tapes are wound, respectively, comprises a cartridge case shell made up two mating case shell halves identical in shape and structure which are coupled to each other to provide at least one compartment for receiving a set of a plurality of the tape cartridges arranged closely side by side in an interior of the cartridge container. The cartridge container is provided with crushable flanges formed at its opposite sides and openings formed as handgrips in the crushable flange, respectively.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cartridge container for storing flat tape cartridges with electromagnetic tapes wound on reels therein and, more particularly, to an electromagnetic tape cartridge container which prevents the tape cartridges put therein from being affected by impact against thereto and encourages tape cartridge packing efficiency.

2. Description of Related Art

Typically, it is general in an ordinary distribution process to secure impact protection for a package of one-reel type electromagnetic tape cartridges by filling a cardboard packing box 5 with a substantial number of the tape cartridges 1 individually packed in cartridge cases 3, respectively, as shown in FIG. 5. An inconvenience encountered by the collective package is that the cardboard packing box 5 has to be opened in order to check its contents and/or the type of the tape cartridges 1 packaged therein. Further, if the cardboard packing box 5 is bedewed with water and takes a leak, the tape cartridges 1 and electromagnetic tapes in the tape cartridges are bedewed with water and damaged depending upon circumstances, in addition to damage of the cardboard packing box 5.

Such being the case, there has been marketed a transparent plastic box 7 having a peripheral flange 17 for collective packing of tape cartridges 1 such as shown in FIG. 6. This packing box 7 leaves its structural strength due to exposure to water untouched and enables to see its contents. Such the transparent plastic box 7 is known, for example, in the name of UTO-Ultrum L-pack (Trade name of TDK Co., Ltd.) and described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-285424.

However, the transparent plastic box 7 is put in a cardboard packing box in such a manner that the peripheral flange 17 is in contact with an inner wall of the cardboard packing box by reason of space saving and impact absorption. When opening the cardboard packing box and pulling out the transparent plastic box 7 from the cardboard packing box, it is hard to take a grip on the transparent plastic box 7 because there is no space between the flange 17 and the inner wall of the cardboard packing box. Further, if forcing a hand between them, fingers of the hand are possibly injured by a peripheral edge of the flange 17. In this instance, the transparent plastic box 7 with 20 units of LTO type tape cartridges packed therein reaches a weight of approximately 4.0 kg which is relatively heavyweight. Even though the transparent plastic box 7 is provided with a handgrip in the form of an opening formed in the flange 17, there are some situations where an edge of the handgrip bites into a hand when having a grip on the handgrip and pulling out the transparent plastic box 7. In particular, when carrying the transparent plastic box 7, it is essential to hold it with both hands. Accordingly, the prior art plastic box for packing tape cartridges is quite inconvenient in handling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cartridge container which is easily taken out from a packing box.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cartridge container which is enhanced in tape cartridge handling and packing efficiency.

The foregoing object of the present invention is accomplished by a cartridge container for storing a plurality of flat tape cartridges having tape reels, respectively, therein, on which electromagnetic tapes are wound, respectively. The cartridge container comprises a case shell comprising two mating case shell halves identical in shape and structure which are coupled to each other to provide the cartridge container; a crushable flange formed as an integral part of each the mating case shell half at each of opposite sides of the mating case shell half and a handgrip formed by an opening formed in the crushable flange of each the mating case shell halt wherein the two mating case shell halves are coupled to form at least one compartment for receiving a set of a predetermined number of the flat tape cartridges arranged closely side by side in a direction of axis of the tape reel in an interior of the cartridge container.

According to the cartridge container, since the cartridge container has the handgrip at a position of a mating face between the two mating case shell halves, it is easy to have a firm grip on the handgrip when pulling out the cartridge container from a cardboard packing box and when carrying the cartridge container by hand. Furthermore, when gripping the handgrip by a hand for carrying the cartridge container, no fingers are bitten and injured by an edge of the handgrip.

The handgrip may be formed by an opening with an inner wall generally L-shaped The L-shaped wall enhances rigidity of the handgrip and its vicinity and, in consequence, prevents the flange from damages. Accordingly, the cartridge container is guaranteed in terms of quality.

The cartridge container may be made up of two mating case shell halves, each comprising a top fitting rail and a top groove forming a male and female coupling structure in which the top fitting rail of one of the two mating case shell halves is fitted in the top grove of the other of the two mating case shell halves by insertion, thereby coupling the two mating case shell halves for completing the cartridge container. In the case where the top fitting rail and the top groove are arranged symmetrically with respect to a center line of the mating case shell half, the cartridge container is made up of completely identical two mating case shell halves. This brings about an advantage that it is only needed to provide a single mold for production of both mating case shell halves.

The cartridge container may have a plurality of compartments defined and separated from one another by partition walls. The cartridge container having the partition walls prevents sets of tape cartridges from having an effect of inertial impact on one another even when the respective sets of tape cartridges are individually affected by impact caused upon falling of the cartridge container.

The mating case shell half may comprise an integral molded product made of a plastic resin preferably such as polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene and polystyrene, and more preferably a translucent plastic resin. Furthermore, the mating case shell half may comprise a product formed by stretching press of a plastic resin sheet having a thickness in a range of from 0.5 to 2.0 mm. This plastic resin cartridge container is produced with a high degree of accuracy and at a low cost. The plastic resin such as mentioned above are easily available at a low cost and better-suited for vacuum molding. It is enabled to form the mating case half by stretching press of a plastic resin sheet having a thickness of 0.5 to 2.0 mm in order to economically acquire required minimum structural strength of the respective compartments of the cartridge container, and besides minimizing the cartridge container in weight while satisfying required minimum structural strength of the cartridge container. In addition, the usage of such a thin plastic resin sheet results in allowing the cartridge container to cause proper deformation due to external impact, so as thereby to secure most appropriate impact absorbability for the tape cartridges. If the plastic resin sheet has a thickness less than 0.5 mm, the cartridge container causes deformation too easily, so that it is incapable of bringing about an appropriate impact absorption effect. On the other hand, if the plastic resin sheet has a thickness greater than 2.0 mm, the cartridge container encounters a difficulty in deformation which allows external impact to be directly transmitted to the tape cartridges put therein. The cartridge container whose thinnest part is confined in thickness to that limit range can be provided with an optimized crushable or appropriate impact absorbable zone. The cartridge container made of a translucent plastic resin makes it quite easy to check its contents and/or a type of the contents without being opened.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects and features of the present invention will be clearly understood from the following detailed description when reading with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein same or similar parts or mechanisms are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings and in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a cartridge container according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention in which with upper and lower mating halves are separated;

FIG. 2A is a plane view of a lower case half of the cartridge container,

FIG. 2B is a side view of the lower case half of the cartridge container,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cartridge container with the upper and lower mating halves mated;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a conventional cardboard packing box for packing tape cartridges therein; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the accompanying drawings in detail, and in particular, to FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B, there is show a cartridge container 100 for suitably containing a number of flat cartridges such as electromagnetic tape cartridges (which are hereinafter refereed to as tape cartridge for simplicity) 25 therein. The tape cartridge 25, which has a tape reel 23 with an electromagnetic tape 21 wound around a reel core, is shaped in the form of, for example, thin square box, or otherwise in the form of thin rectangular box. The tape reel 23 has an axis of rotation extending in a direction of the thickness of the tape cartridge 25. The cartridge container 100 comprises a case shell made up of two mating case shell halves, namely upper and lower mating case shell halves 27 and 29. These upper and lower mating case shell halves 27 and 29 are identical in structure and shape with each other. The upper and lower mating case shell halves 27 and 29 are detachably fitted together by engagement so as to be opened and closed. For this detachable fitting of the upper and lower mating case halves 27 and 29, there are formed a plurality of, for example four in this embodiment, compartments 31 for receiving four tape cartridge sets 33. The tape cartridge set 33 to be received in the compartment 31 comprises a predetermined number of, for example five in this embodiment tape cartridges 25 arranged closely side by side in a direction of thickness in block. As shown in FIG. 1, in order to protect tape egress/ingress slots of the tape cartridges 25 which are generally weak in mechanical structure against impact from the outside of the cartridge container 100, it is preferred to put the tape cartridge set 33 so as to position the tape egress/ingress slots on the side of a boundary between adjacent compartments 31 and faced upward. It is more preferred to put the cartridge sets 33 in the compartments 31 so that the tape egress/ingress slots of the cartridge sets 33 in adjacent compartments 31 are opposed one another. In this instance, the compartment 31 has a storage volumetric capacity which is approximately the same as the cubic measure of the five tape cartridges 25. Accordingly, the tape cartridges 25 are neatly arranged in the compartment 31 even if put in the compartment 31 in a careless way. This is because there is no parting strip for the tape cartridges 25 in the compartment 31. Since it is enabled to hold two or three tape cartridges 25 together by hand and put them into the compartment 31, the cartridge container 100 bring a marked improvement in tape cartridge packing operation as compared with the conventional cartridge container or box which needs to put tape cartridges 25 one by one.

As described above, according to the structure of the cartridge container 100, since the tape cartridges 25 are contained in lots of multiple units, the cartridge container 100 is possible to acquire an extra area uninvolved in storage in the case of the same storage area (which is normalized by a standard) as the prior art cartridge container 7 including a flange adapted to receive the tape cartridges 25 individually. The extra area of the cartridge container 100 is utilize for what is called a crushable or impact absorption zone. In this embodiment, the crushable zone is provided in the form of wide traverse flanges 35 formed at and along opposite short sides of the mating case half 27, 29. The transverse flanges 35 of the mating case halves 27 and 29 at the respective short sides have rectangular openings 37, respectively so as to be used as carrying handgrips of the cartridge container 100. Therefore, the cartridge container 100 can not only be carried in a horizontal position by grasping the both handgrips 37 but also be carried in a vertical position by gripping either one of the opposite handgrips 37. If a carrier accidentally drops the cartridge container 100 while carrying it in a vertical position by one hand, the cartridge container 100 has a first hit against a floor at the far side flange 35. At this time, the far side flange 35, that performs as an impact absorption member, is deformed or crushed by the weight of the cartridge container 100 and its contents so as to absorb impact strength, thereby absorbing a direct shock against the tape cartridges 25. In the general, the tape cartridge 25 has a weakness for impact in a direction of thickness or axis of the tape reel, because a roll of electromagnetic tape 21 does not always have even side surfaces but has irregularities at opposite sides thereof. The electromagnetic tape 21 is not always wound on the tape reel 23 with side edges of convolutions of the tape neatly flush with one another, so that a roll of the electromagnetic tape 21 wound in the tape reel has irregularities at opposite sides. The irregularities possibly cause the electromagnetic tape 21 to hit against the flanges of the tape reel 23 at the side edges due to external force while winding the electromagnetic tape 21 in the tape reel 23, resulting that the electromagnetic tape 21 is crushed and/or broken back in a transverse direction at its side edges as being wound in the tape reel 23. The electromagnetic tape 21 having crushed and broken irregularities brings down an adverse effect on smooth winding and unwinding, and besides causing defective record at its worst. In contrast, the container 100 having the crushable flanges 35 arranged at the short sides thereof which is identical with the axis of the tape reel 23 has enhanced impact resistance in the lengthwise direction in which the tape cartridge 25 is mechanically weak.

The mating case half 27, 29 has a case coupling structure comprising a generally U-shaped top fitting rails 43 extending half around an opening thereof and a generally U-shaped top groove 45 extending separately half around the opening as male and female coupling components, respectively. These male and female coupling components are formed on opposite sides of a longitudinal center line 47 of the mating case shell half 27, 29 and completely equal in overall length to each other. The top fitting rail 43 of one of mating case shell halves 27 and 29 is fitted in the top groove 45 of the other by insertion. The mating case shell half 27, 29 is provided with a cruciform partition wall 49 for defining the respective compartments 31. Further, the mating case shell half 27, 29 is provided with a lateral rim 51 extending entirely along either one of the rim projection 43 and the groove 45 and bent toward the counterpart so as to cover the periphery of the mating case shell half 27, 29 of the other of the top fitting rail 43 and the top groove 45 of the counterpart for improved dustproof and waterproof.

The mating case half 27, 29 further has a container coupling structure comprising two bottom fitting frames 53 and two bottom fitting frames 55 formed as male and female coupling components, respectively, on an external bottom surface thereof. The bottom fitting frame 53 defines an aperture into which the bottom fitting frame 55 fits well. These bottom fitting frames 53 and 55 are located correspondingly to the respective compartments 31 and on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the mating case half 27, 29. The bottom fitting frames 53 and 55 are dimensioned so that the bottom fitting frames 55 of the mating case shell halve 27, 29 are fitted together in the bottom fitting frames 53 of the mating case shell halve, 27, 29 of another cartridge container 100 by insertion By means of the container coupling structure, a plurality of the cartridge containers 100 piled on top of another are prevented from striking relative slide and, in consequence, from tumbling down.

The mating case half 27, 29, that is preferably made in the form of an integral plastic resin product such as those relatively easy in handling, is provided with sufficient toughness for reliable protection of the tape cartridges 25 stored in the cartridge container 100 and appropriate impact absorbability and is suitable for commercial and inexpensive production of the cartridge container 100. It is preferred to use any one of polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene and polystyrene for the mating case halves 27 and 29 by reason of easy availability of the material, easy and inexpensive vacuum molding of the mating case halves 27 and 29, and collection and reclamation of waste cartridge containers 100.

It is further preferred to use translucent plastic resins by reason of visibility of the tape cartridges 25 put in the cartridge container 100 and easiness of keeping track of a contained state of the tape cartridges 25 in the cartridge container 100.

In order to economically acquire required minimum structural strength of the respective compartments 31 of the cartridge container 100, and besides minimizing the cartridge container 100 in weight while satisfying required minimum structural strength of the cartridge container 100, it is possible to form the mating case halves 27 and 29 by stretching press of a plastic resin sheet having a thickness of 0.5 to 2.0 mm. In addition, the usage of such a thin plastic resin sheet results in allowing the cartridge container 100 to cause proper deformation due to external impact, so as thereby to secure most appropriate impact absorbability for the tape cartridges 25. In this instance, if the plastic resin sheet has a thickness less than 0.5 mm, the cartridge container 100 causes deformation too easily, so that it is incapable of bringing about an appropriate impact absorption effect On the other hand, if the plastic resin sheet has a thickness greater than 2.0 mm, the cartridge container 100 encounters a difficulty in deformation which allows external impact to be directly transmitted to the tape cartridges 25 put therein. The cartridge container 100 whose thinnest part is confined in thickness to that range in the limits is provided with an optimized crushable or appropriate impact absorbable zone.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the cartridge container 100 is completed by coupling the upper mating case shell half 27 to the lower mating case shell half 27 with four cartridge sets 33 put therein trough insertion of the top fitting rail 43 into the top groove 45. The cartridge container 100 thus packed is boxed in a cardboard packing box 80 that is made similarly in size to the cartridge container 100 and carried about. When opening the cardboard packing box 80 and taking the cartridge container 100 out from the cardboard packing box 80, it is enabled to pull out the cartridge container 100 from the cardboard packing box 80 with ease by having a grasp on the handgrip 37 formed in the flange 35 and pulling it In order to make it more easily to take the cartridge container 100 out from the cardboard packing box 80, the flange 35 is shaped with opposite corners 57 cut off at approximately 45 degrees so as to form triangular spaces between the cartridge container 100 and the cardboard packing box 80 for easy access to the cartridge container 100 by fingers. As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the handgrip 37 of the mating case shell half 27, 29 has inner walls 59 generally L-shaped in cross section at its long sides (in the transverse direction of the cartridge container 100). The L-shaped inner wall 59 has a breadth L of 1 to 2 mm in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge container 100 in order to enhance structural rigidity of the handgrip 37. The handgrips 37 having the L-shaped inner walls 59 provide an easy and firm grip by a hand for an easy lift of the cartridge container 100. In this instance, when producing the mating case shell half 27, 29 by injection molding, the handgrip 37 is formed by forming a bottomed opening in the flange 35 first and thereafter cutting out the bottom so as to leave an arm portion 61 of the L-shaped wall 59. It is preferred to chamfer edges of the arm portion 61, and more preferably to round off them. The handgrip 37 thus inner-walled provides a safety grip and easy withdrawal of the cartridge container 100 from the cardboard packing box 80, and besides preventing a hand from being injured during carrying the cartridge container 100.

It is also to be understood that although the present invention has been described with regard to preferred embodiments thereof, various other embodiments and variants may occur to those skilled in the art, which are within the scope and spirit of the invention, and such other embodiments and variants are intended to be covered by the following claims. 

1. A cartridge container for storing a plurality of flat tape cartridges having tape reels, respectively, therein, on which electromagnetic tapes are wound, respectively, said cartridge container comprising: a case shell comprising two mating case shell halves identical in shape and structure which are coupled to each other to provide said cartridge container, a flange formed as an integral part of each said mating case shell half at each of opposite sides of said mating case shell half; and a handgrip formed by an opening formed in said crushable flange of each said mating case shell half; wherein said two mating case shell halves are coupled to form at least one compartment for receiving a set of a predetermined number of said flat tape cartridges arranged closely side by side in a direction of axis of said tape reel in an interior of said cartridge container.
 2. A cartridge container as defined in claim 1, wherein said opening has a generally L-shaped inner wall.
 3. A cartridge container as defined in claim 1, wherein each said mating case shell half comprises a top fitting rail and a top groove, said top fitting rail of one of said two mating case shell halves being fitted in said top grove of the other of said two mating case shell halves by insertion so as thereby to couple said two mating case shell halves for completing said cartridge container.
 4. A cartridge container as defined in claim 1, wherein each said mating case shell half has a plurality of partition walls for defining a plurality of said compartments separately.
 5. A cartridge container as defined in claim 1, wherein each said mating case shell half comprises an integral molded product made of a plastic resin.
 6. A cartridge container as defined in claim 5, wherein said plastic resin comprises one selected from a group of polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene and polystyrene
 7. A cartridge container as defined in claim 5, wherein said plastic resin comprises a translucent plastic resin.
 8. A cartridge container as defined in claim 5, wherein each said mating case shell half comprises a product formed by stretching press of a plastic resin sheet having a thickness in a range of from 0.5 to 2.0 mm. 